COM 0806.004 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TESTIMONY OF JOHN HARRIS IN SUPPORT OF RESOLUTION 31106---May 2, 2006 My name is John Harris. My wife and I are Hawaii County residents, and our address is 78-6920 Alii Drive, #331. I am the chair of the Traffic Subcommittee of the Keauhou Outreach Group. My testimony this morning is in support of the adoption of Resolution 311 06 by the Hawaii County Council. Resolution 31106, if adopted, directs the Department of Public Works to expedite the planning and design of necessary vehicular and pedestrian safety improvements on the portion of Alii Drive from one block north of its intersection with the Kamehameha III Road extending south for about one mile to the intersection of Alii Drive with phase 1 of the Hokulia Bypass road. Throughout its history, this segment of Alii Drive in Keauhou has served primarily as a local road, but this circumstance will change dramatically when the Hokulia Bypass road is opened to the public. It will change even more when the first phase of the Alii Parkway between Keauhou and Lako Street is completed. In the five years that the Keauhou community has been studying traffic issues pertaining to Alii Drive, we have seen estimates that half or more of the vehicles now using Mamalahoa Highway through Kainaliu and Honalo will move on to Alii Drive in Keauhou via the Bypass road. Even now, the traffic volumes on Alii Drive have increased noticeably with the successful opening of the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa and the expansion of business and recreational activity in the Keauhou Bay area. The upshot of all of this is that what has been primarily a local street is about to become an essential part of a major arterial roadway in West Hawaii, and at no time has this segment of AM Drive been included in any impact studies prepared in connection with the either the Byass Road or the Alii Parkway. This situation presents serious vehicular and pedestrian safety issues not only for those of us who live in Keauhou, but for our many visitors and the members of the Hawaii County community as a whole. And that is what resolution 311 06 is designed to address. In particular, the main issues we see are the following: 1. All of the entrances on Alii Drive have very limited sight distances in both directions due to curves or hills, or both, except the Kona County Club's main entrance which is pretty good when looking north, but very poor when looking south. With high volumes of traffic on AM Drive, anyone attempting to exit from one of these entrance ways (or from Kaleiopapa or Kaluna Streets) will be at a significant risk for a serious accident. The Kaleiopapa Street intersection will be particularly troublesome because it too has very py~, Comm. No. O ~~O• Ref. To-.Fr Ref. Uate MAY 12 200